THE UNIVERSITY of EDINBURGH

DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2024/2025

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DRPS : Course Catalogue : Edinburgh College of Art : Architecture - History

Undergraduate Course: Architectural History 1 (ARHI08005)

Course Outline
SchoolEdinburgh College of Art CollegeCollege of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 8 (Year 1 Undergraduate) AvailabilityAvailable to all students
SCQF Credits40 ECTS Credits20
SummaryCLOSED - PLEASE ENROL IN ARHI08009 (SEM. 1) AND ARHI08004 (SEM. 2)

Semester 1 begins with an examination of Ancient Egyptian, Greek, and Roman architecture, the architecture of the Middle Ages, Islam, Pre-Columbian America, and the first great re-evaluation of Antiquity in the Italian Renaissance. It goes on to survey the Renaissance in Britain and northern Europe and the subsequent influence of the Italian Baroque in these areas. Later, other significant cultural traditions in the history of architecture are introduced, such as those of India, China, and Japan. Semester 1 concludes with an examination of the theoretical, cultural, and stylistic aspects of the architecture of the European Enlightenment.

Semester 2 opens with a survey of the stylistic revivals that dominated architecture in the early nineteenth century. It also introduces the apparently contradictory theme of modernity in architecture and discusses the nineteenth century development of new and more sophisticated typologies along with the new materials and technologies that made this possible. The revivalist and the modern are also discussed in terms of the conflict between industrial and anti-industrial that saw the architectural technology of the Crystal Palace juxtaposed with the emergence of the Arts and Crafts Movement. The course traces the complex ideas that lie behind the emergence of Modernism in the early decades of the 20th century. It concludes with lectures on the revision of Modernism in the 1950's and 60's and the recent emergence of a Post-modern consciousness.

Throughout the course the development of building technology and the social, religious, and political understanding of buildings are recurring themes. Excursions into the related fields of landscape architecture and urban design necessarily appear from time to time.
Course description Not entered
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Students MUST NOT also be taking Architectural History 1B: Revivalism to Modernism (ARHI08004) AND Architectural History 1A: Introduction to World Architecture (ARHI08009)
Other requirements None
Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisitesNone
High Demand Course? Yes
Course Delivery Information
Not being delivered
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. Demonstrate a knowledge and understanding of the history and theory of architecture and the related arts, in its artistic, social, political, and programmatic contexts.
  2. Locate and start to critically appraise historians' work on the history and theory of architecture and the related arts, in support of a reflective and informed approach to architectural history and design precedent.
  3. Demonstrate the development of communication skills relating to the key themes of the course.
Reading List
None
Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills Not entered
Additional Class Delivery Information Plus a weekly tutorial
KeywordsNot entered
Contacts
Course organiserDr Alistair Fair
Tel: (0131 6)51 3913
Email: Alistair.Fair@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMiss Amanda Fleet
Tel: (0131 6)50 2328
Email: afleet@exseed.ed.ac.uk
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